Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 June 2014
83. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the extent to which gun crime incidents have increased in the past ten years to date; the extent to which the perpetrators continue to be brought to justice; if the activities of criminal gangs continue to set the pace and tone in this regard; the action taken over the years to deal with the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26747/14]
View answerAs I outlined in my earlier response to Deputy Collins, I recently discussed the challenges presented by this type of crime, and particularly its association with organised crime, with the Acting Commissioner, who outlined the substantial efforts being made by An Garda Síochána to identify and target those involved.
In relation to the statistics requested by the Deputy, as he will be aware, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is responsible for the production of the official Recorded Crime Statistics and they have provided me with a table setting out the recorded crime incidents in which a firearm was involved between 2003 and 2013. I will forward that table to the Deputy. According to those figures, the incidence of gun crime fell between 2003, when there were 500 incidents recorded, to 381 last year, fluctuating considerably over the intervening years, and falling by more than 7% last year.
It is clear to all that gun crime has for some time been an inherent part of organised criminal activity in this jurisdiction, as it is in other similar countries. This demands a robust response and this is precisely what is happening. Considerable powers and investigative tools are available to An Garda Síochána, to which we have recently added the DNA database legislation. The Gardaí make extensive use of these powers to tackle and disrupt organised crime, with persons regularly brought before the courts and substantial sentences handed down. I can assure the Deputy that confronting organised crime and the harm it causes is a priority for the Government and will certainly be a priority for me as Minister for Justice and Equality.
